1:45 am, February 9, 2011
PEUGEOT has not ruled out putting a hybrid RCZ into production, the French firm’s top brass have revealed.
A hybrid version of the marque’s sports car was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009 but details on whether it would make production have been sketchy since.
But at the launch of the marque’s Ford Mondeo rivalling 508 this week, the manufacturer said a hybrid RCZ has still ‘not been ruled out’.
‘It’s not a case of if we can do it but more a case of is there demand for it,’ explained Peugeot technical communications chief Laurent Debure.
This year the manufacturer will launch a Hybrid4 version of the 3008. The drivetrain features a 163bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine mated to a 37bhp electric engine offering 200bhp and four wheel drive. Emissions are sub-100g/km and fuel economy in the high 70s mpg. It’s this set up that would be used in the RCZ.
‘The good thing about the Hybrid4 system is that it is modular so can fit in other models,’ explained a spokesman for the firm. ‘It fits in RCZ but it’s about demand and whether customers want it.’
The RCZ is made at the Magna plant in Gras, Austria – the same place as the Aston Martin Rapide is produced. It is currently making 17,000 RCZs a year, but has the capacity to increase this to 22,000 – easily enough to cater for a hybrid version.
Debure added: ‘When there is a petrol version that produces 200bhp it’s not known whether buyers would want a hybrid version producing the same.’
But offering the Hybrid4 set up in the sports car would make sense. Buyers are looking to cut fuel costs and are getting more environmentally conscious – but at the same time they still want vehicles they can enjoy driving. What’s more, the added advantage of the Hybrid4 set up is four-wheel drive which would be great for handling.
It appears the manufacturer will now be keeping a close eye on demand for the 3008 and 508 Hybrid4 models before giving the RCZ version the green light. We only hope they do.
